


What doesn't kill you...

by Nightchild78



Category: NCIS
Genre: Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s02e10 Chained, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-20
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-13 23:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3400409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightchild78/pseuds/Nightchild78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a case takes a disastrous turn, Tony is forced to find in himself the words to convince a victim to testify against her attacker and so have a chance to put a predator behind bars.<br/>Spoilers: Set somewhere during season 3, spoilers for the episode Chained (2x10).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Disaster

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to my precious beta reader smuffly who takes time to beta my work and makes it readable.  
> This was my first attempt to write for the NCIS fandom, so I hope it wasn't too OOC. This fic has five chapters and is complete. 
> 
> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

It was exactly the kind of case Tony hated. The kind of case all of them hated.

In itself, it was nothing they hadn't already seen far too often. For nearly three months, a serial rapist had scoured bars which were usually frequented by Navy personnel and the profile of the victims was always the same: young women, single, attractive and with posts of responsibility in the Navy or the Marines.

The modus operandi was also similar for every case: always acting when the places were overcrowded, the rapist spotted his potential victim and initiated conversation. After making sure she wasn't accompanied and wasn't expecting anyone, he took advantage of the crowd to pour a dose of GHB in her drink. When the victim began to lose her coordination and to look drunk, all he had to do was to play the Good Samaritan and offer to call her a cab to take her home. Once outside the bar, it was too late. The victim, completely helpless, was loaded into a car and taken to an isolated place where her attacker raped her repeatedly, before she was finally abandoned, in the early morning, near the bar where she had been abducted.

At least five victims had dared to press charges and there was no doubt they were dealing with the same man. Although, none of the victims had been able to give a precise description of the man who had approached them, all were adamant that they would be able to recognize him if they saw him again.

The perp had left no trace of semen behind him, but after several weeks of investigation - and thanks to the work done by Abby on some fiber samples taken from the victim's clothes - they had finally tracked down a suspect: Petty Officer 3rd class Andrew Wells.

A quick research in the past had revealed that Wells was a mediocre officer and not well liked by his superiors. He was also a misogynist who had a bad habit of blaming his failures on the women around him, both personally and professionally.

During the search of Wells' apartment, the team had found a very extensive collection of porn videos, most featuring simulated rape scenes, but also a notebook, carefully taped beneath a dresser drawer, wherein Wells listed what he probably regarded as his 'conquests', sorted by date and embellished with scores ranging from one to five stars.

Besides the five known victims, it also included the names of other potential past victims, over a period spanning more than two years, with the addition of one more alleged victim, whose aggression likely went back a few days, but by whom no complaint had been lodged.

At this point in the investigation, the case seemed to be wrapped up, and all they needed was a confession from Wells in order to lock him away for decades.

Unfortunately, nothing happened as planned.

Against all odds, Wells hadn't tried to deny the evidence of his presence near the victims. On the contrary, he admitted to meeting with them and even flirting with them, but according to him, without it going any further than small talk over a drink.

In spite of the hours spent grilling him in turn, neither threats nor the promise of a deal had deflected him from his well-rehearsed story and for lack of any witness able to testify that Wells had left the premises with the victims, they were going round in circles.

No trace of physical restraint had been found on the victims and the testing for GHB in their blood had turned out to be non-significant. Therefore, it had been decided to hold an identification parade, in order to verify the victims' testimonies - that he had indeed approached, and then dragged them away without their consent.

Of course, this would be their word against his before the court, but it was better than nothing.

Alas, it was at this time that things had really turned into a disaster.

Indeed, contrary to the most elementary common sense and to the most basic rules of procedure, an obscure clerk from JAG had had the brilliant idea to put the five victims of Wells in the same waiting room, before they proceeded in turn to his identification. Obviously, Well's counsel had screamed procedural irregularity and immediately overturned all the testimonies and results of the identification.

Needless to say that after that, they had been left with almost nothing in their file, with the exception of some textile fibers and some epithelial cells on a jacket sleeve, which proved nothing more than what Wells had already admitted.

Now, all that remained was one hope to bring Andrew Wells down and prevent him to attack other women. One hope to erase the little smirk he had been wearing without shame since his lawyer had told him about the invalidation of the testimonies.

One hope which was currently sitting in front of Lieutenant Meyers from JAG, in one of the Navy Yard interrogation rooms: the latest victim of Wells and the only one they had been able to identify from his notebook: Lieutenant Mary Carson.

_To be continued_


	2. Deadlock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my precious beta reader smuffly who did a fantastic job.  
> Also a huge thank you to everyone who has been so kind to send kudos and subscribe. It means so much to me.  
> Hope you'll enjoy this new chapter.

Lieutenant Meyers slammed the door of the observation room and glared at the MCRT team who had spent over an hour watching her, as she tried to convince Lieutenant Carson to lodge a complaint and testify against Wells.

Raising her arms to heaven, she let out a frustrated sigh.

"There is no point. She's in complete denial. She refuses to testify against Wells. She even refused to press charges against him."

Meyers dropped her folder on the desktop in the center of the room where the recording Equipment stood, unfortunately useless for the moment, then she began to pace.

"What a load of shit! Time's up – which means we'll have to release him."

"Then what?" asked Ziva dryly as she detached herself from the far wall of the room. "We sit on our butt and wait until he can't keep it in his pants and rapes another woman?"

Meyers looked daggers at her.

"Do you think it makes me happy? It's not my fault if she refuses even to admit that she was raped."

"Yeah, well maybe if you and your team of clowns hadn't screwed up with the other victims, we wouldn't be here," spat the former Mossad agent.

"Hey, calm down." McGee got up and tried to intervene between the two women, who seemed ready to claw at each other like two wild cats.

"Shut up!" ordered Gibbs with authority, immediately silencing the two belligerent women. They all looked at him, hoping he would come up with one of his unexpected ways out - instead of which he turned towards Tony, who hadn't yet said a single word.

"Any ideas, DiNozzo?"

"Maybe," replied the former cop laconically. His eyes were fixed on Lieutenant Carson, who was fiddling nervously with a cup of coffee on the other side of the window. Meyers had given it to her at the beginning of the interview but, up until now, it had remained untouched.

Since they had entered the observation room, Tony hadn't taken his eyes off of the blonde woman. Gibbs wondered what his SFA could have read in her that they had failed to see. What allowed him to think that he could change her mind?

Tony slowly tore his gaze from Lieutenant Carson and looked Gibbs straight in the eye.

"I'd like to talk to her for a moment."

Before Gibbs could say anything, Meyers stepped in. Her tone was patronizing.

"Excuse me, Agent DiNozzo, but given your record with women, I really doubt you are the most qualified person to convince her to testify. And honestly, I really don't see what more you could achieve."

Tony slowly turned towards her, his neutral gaze shifting to an icy glare.

"With all due respect, I think that anyone would be more qualified than you to proceed here, given the ravages that you and your team had already caused to our investigation."

He paused and breathed deeply before adding:

"As for your totally inappropriate remark regarding my competence as investigator and the way I lead my _private_ life, I think I'll pretend I didn't hear anything, so it will spare me from filing an official complaint against you for defamation and prejudice."

He paused, feigning contemplation.

"Or maybe I should complain after all and while I'm at it, I should take the opportunity to ensure that you'll be held personally responsible for all this mess. What do you think?"

Meyer's face contorted in scorn.

"You wouldn't dare."

Tony's expression became truly murderous, as he stepped forwards and placed himself barely an inch away from her, their noses almost touching.

"The heck I will," he breathed. "Trust me, I can make your life a living hell."

Meyers swallowed hard and turned her head towards Gibbs.

"You're gonna let your yappy dog threaten me without saying anything, Agent Gibbs?"

"What threat?" retorted the former Marine sarcastically. "Agent McGee, did you hear Agent DiNozzo threaten Lieutenant Meyers?"

McGee shook his head and looked straight in Gibbs' eyes.

"No, Boss. I didn't."

"And you, Officer David?"

"Not the slightest hint of a threat, Boss," said Ziva with a smug smile.

"You see, Lieutenant, no threat on the horizon. So now, I advise you either to sit quietly and watch or to leave. Am I clear enough, Lieutenant?"

Meyers glared at him and Gibbs was sure that if her eyes had been weapons, he'd have been stone dead in a second, just like the rest of his team. Faced by the evidence of her defeat, she dropped on a chair, muttering unintelligibly.

Completely ignoring her, Tony took his cell phone from his belt, checked the screen and turned towards McGee, who was still standing in the middle of the room.

"I'll need your help, McGoo."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to text me in ten minutes."

"Okay, but what do I text you?" asked McGee, fumbling for his own cell phone.

Tony flashed him a quick smile which didn't reach his eyes.

"Anything you want, McNervous. As long as you do it in ten."

With that he left the room.

"It's a waste of time," mumbled Meyers with a huff.

Gibbs smirked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Never underestimate DiNozzo. Even after all these years, he still manages to surprise me. And it takes a lot to surprise me anymore."

_To be continued_


	3. Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my beta reader smuffly for her support and help.  
> A big thank you to everyone who has been so kind to send kudos, and subscribe. It means a lot to me. Feel free to comment. I'd like to know what you think of it. :D

Tony rapped softly at the door of the interrogation room, waited until he heard a soft voice inviting him to enter, then slipped into the room.

He nodded at the young blonde woman dressed in an immaculate Marine's uniform.

"Lieutenant Carson. I'm Special Agent Dinozzo from NCIS. May I come in?"

The young woman gave him a hard and hostile look, then pointed at the chair in front of him.

"Make yourself at home. Anyway, I don't intend to stay. I already told your colleague I have nothing to say."

Tony sat down and crossed his fingers in front of him.

"She's not my colleague."

Lieutenant Carson shrugged and looked away.

"Whatever. I have nothing to add, and you can't keep me here any longer. "

Tony pressed his lips together and tilted his head to one side.

"Quite true, Lieutenant. No one can force you to stay. I think they even called a cab to take you home. It shouldn't be long."

The young woman was clinging onto her cup of coffee like a drowning man clings to a lifeline. Hearing Tony's words, she loosened her grip around it, ever so slightly.

"Fine."

Tony took a deep breath and started:

"Lieutenant Carson, I won't try to pretend I know how you feel…"

"I already told you; nothing happened," the Lieutenant broke in harshly, losing her temper.

She shoved away her cup, spilling its content over the metal table.

"Oh, shit," she muttered.

"Let me do it," said Tony as he immediately pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped up the liquid.

"Lieutenant. I'm not here to make you change your mind. All I want from you is a few minutes of your time before your cab arrives. I speak, you listen and then you can go home. Nothing more."

She eyed him dubiously.

"Really?"

"Really."

She lifted her chin defiantly and leant back, arms crossed

"Go ahead. I want it to be done."

Leaning back in turn, Tony didn't start to speak immediately. Instead, he paused, wondering where to start.

"Before I went to work for NCIS, I was a cop for a few years…"

"And I bet you saw countless cases of rape in your career, blah, blah, blah," she interrupted him, almost immediately.

Grabbing her purse, she stood up.

"That's enough..."

He lifted his hand to stop her.

"Even though I saw my fill of shit through the years, that's not what I want to talk to you about." He motioned her to sit down again. "Lieutenant. Please."

Reluctantly, she complied and he started up again.

"When I was a cop, I had a friend. Michael. He was a very good cop. He was young and a bit reckless, but resourceful and street smart. I don't know how he did it, but he always managed to get out of trouble."

A distant smile spread on his lips, before he cleared his throat and became serious again.

"Anyway, we were as thick as thieves and one day, he came to see me and said he needed to talk to someone. I was only too happy to oblige and he told me that a few months ago, his boss had come to offer him the lead in an undercover investigation - a case of receiving stolen property. A case no different from dozens he had handled in his career. All he had to do was befriend a guy and then sniff at his heels until he found the goods and buyers. The usual routine."

Tony paused for breath and glanced at the Lieutenant, who seemed to be lost in her own headspace. Nevertheless, he went on:

"I'll spare you the details. Let's just say that nothing went as planned and the whole op turned into an indescribable mess. The guy he was supposed to befriend was far more dangerous than they expected and had an even more dangerous associate. On the top of that, my friend lost his back-up just when he was about to be 'invited' in the bad guys' lair. At that moment, he really thought his last hour had come. But once again, he managed to save his cover and convince the guys that he was reliable. He thought he was out of the woods. But he was wrong and it was almost a miracle that he made it out alive."

Tony paused once again and glanced at Mary Carson was now staring at him, an undecipherable look on her face. He averted his eyes and focused his attention on the stained handkerchief in his hands.

"The first guy was not only a robber, but also a cold blooded killer. As for the second guy... well, he was even sicker than he looked and he spiked Michael's drink with a healthy dose of Rohypnol, then... One minute he was fine, the next one he was struggling to come around after a blank of several hours." Tony's voice had gone raw and thick. "I guess there's hardly any need to spell out what happened while he was out."

A painfully thick silence filled the room.

"Did you... Did your friend report it?" Lieutenant Carson asked finally, full of hesitation.

Tony shook his head.

"No, he didn't. It was unnecessary. By the end of the operation, both men were dead."

"But... if they hadn't been, he would have," she insisted.

"No." Tony's response was blunt.

"Why?" she couldn't help asking.

A joyless smirk tweaked the corner of his mouth.

"For the same reason you refuse to testify about what Wells did to you."

He straightened and rested his forearms on the table, looking at her straight in the eyes.

"I read your file, Lieutenant Carson. You worked for two years in the MP. Your score at shooting practice is excellent. You're in the top ten of your hand-to-hand class. You're a soldier and a good one."

She shrugged noncommittally and he leant even further on the table.

"Trained soldiers don't get raped, and neither do smart cops. They're the ones who protect the victims and catch the bad guy. They're not the victims. This _doesn't_ happen to them."

Lieutenant Carson bit her lower lip and seemed on the verge of bursting into tears, but Tony carried on.

"Except it _does_ happen." He took a deep breath. "What I want you to understand before you leave is that you have every right to refuse to press charges and choose to leave it all behind you. But don't do it in order to punish yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. And for the record, you're not a victim. Neither was my friend. You're a _survivor_. "

They stayed silent for a moment, each of them staring at an invisible point on the table, until Tony's phone pinged, breaking the spell.

Lieutenant Carson jerked her head up and a solitary tear rolled over her cheek before landing on the table. Tony checked the ID, though he already knew it was the text from McGee. He sent her a soft smile.

"Seems your cab is here. I'll tell them you're coming."

He stood up and headed to the door. As he put his hand on the knob, Lieutenant Carson's strangled voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Agent DiNozzo. Could you…" She cleared her throat. "Could you ask Lieutenant Meyers to come back? I… I changed my mind. I want to press charges for abduction and rape."

Tony let out a small sigh and nodded.

"I will do, Lieutenant. Thank you."

Before she could say anything else, he left the room.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Behind the two-way mirror, McGee stifled a gasp. He was about to speak, but one glance at Gibbs was enough to make him change his mind. The team leader looked as though he had been turned into a pillar of salt. All the blood had drained from his face and he was so pale that for a second, McGee thought he might be about to pass out - even though the concept of Gibbs passing out was completely surreal.

"Boss? Are you alright?" he couldn't help but ask with concern.

Instead of answering his Junior Agent, Gibbs spoke to Lieutenant Meyers who was sharing puzzled looks with Ziva, both of them seeming to be at a loss.

"Lieutenant Meyers, you're expected. You should go before she changes her mind."

Meyers hurriedly picked up her folder and left without further ado, clearly glad to leave the stifling atmosphere of the observation room.

Finally tearing his eyes from the window, Gibbs threw his empty cup in the trash and left without sparing a glance for his agents

"McGee?" asked Ziva softly, once he was gone. "Is it me or has Tony never mentioned this Michael?"

McGee sighed and sat on the edge of the desk, staring at his feet.

"No, he hasn't."

"But why?"

Slowly, McGee looked up at her.

"Because, as far as I know, he doesn't have any friend named Michael."

_To be continued_


	4. Confidences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my beta reader smuffly for her support and help.  
> Also a huge thank you to everyone who has been so kind to comment, send kudos and subscribe. Don't hesitate to tell me what you think of it. :D

Tony leant against the railing of the rooftop, closed his eyes and turned his face to the sky, letting the pale beams of spring sun chase away the unpleasant feeling of cold which had crept through him while he was in the interrogation room.

As soon as he had left, he had rushed to the men's room and splashed some water on his face, before seeking out the nearest terrace to get some fresh air and try to compose himself. Digging the dirt had been a necessary evil to bring Wells down, but now he really needed to do some damage control.

"You didn't tell me."

Gibbs' voice was calm, but Tony could hear the tension in it.

"No. I didn't," he acknowledged quietly, without bothering to turn around.

He knew Gibbs would come after him and demand an explanation. But he hadn't expected it would be so soon and before he was fully prepared to face him.

"Why?"

Tony let out a snort and bowed his head, inwardly steeling himself in anticipation of the thorough interrogation which was already beginning.

"Not exactly the kind of stuff you can bring into everyday conversation. And anyway, it seemed… irrelevant."

"Irrelevant! Are you kidding?" Gibbs was literally roaring, unable to contain his exasperation at Tony's understatement.

Tony spun around and hushed him.

"Hey, not so loud, thanks. The whole Yard doesn't need to hear us."

Gibbs grunted noncommittally, but nevertheless went on in a subdued tone.

"For God's sake, Tony. Why can't you stop pretending..."

"I'm not pretending anything," Tony cut him off, before leaning back against the railing. He ran his hand over his face and sighed wearily.

"All I mean is… that it could have been worse."

Gibbs raised a dubious eyebrow and Tony shook his head.

"Look. At least, I'm alive and got out of this mess unharmed."

"Unharmed, really?" snorted the team leader.

Tony shrugged wryly.

"From my point of view, it's still better than to have my throat slit open or to be shot in the head or… I don't know, to end up disabled for the rest of my life."

He straightened his back and warily glanced at his mentor. Gibbs was leaning against a wall, arms crossed, looking less than convinced.

"I'm fine," Tony claimed flatly.

"If you say so," grunted Gibbs between clenched teeth.

He knew better than to put the younger man's back up over semantics and decided to try another approach.

"Did you... see someone?"

Tony turned to face him.

"If you want to know whether I had a physical examination, the answer is yes. Ducky took care of that. He carried out all the required tests on me and… them."

It took Gibbs the fraction of a second to understand what kind of tests he was talking about, but as soon as the word 'AIDS' came to mind, he felt an icy wave wash over him from head to toe.

_Oh God. Please, not that._

Seeing his dismay, Tony hastened to put his mind at rest.

"Don't worry - all the tests came back negative." He spread his arms and added with his trademark cocky smile: "I'm as pure as a newborn."

Gibbs let out the breath he hadn't known that he was holding and rested his head against the wall, full of relief that Tony hadn't been completely alone, and grateful for Ducky's unfailing support.

"And for the rest?" he insisted.

Tony's smile faded away and he looked down at his shoes.

"A shrink you mean? No. No need. I can take care of myself, thanks."

"Tony…" Gibbs began, but the younger man held his hand to stop him.

"Listen. The last thing I need is some stranger messing with my head. I've been in law enforcement for years. I attended dozen of seminars and training sessions about… that. Trust me, there's nothing a shrink can tell me that I didn't tell myself."

Looking Gibbs straight in the eye, he held out his fingers one by one.

"I'm not in denial. I don't remember anything, so I can't have flashbacks. Any anger I could have felt had gone long ago. I don't felt guilty for anything anymore. And I'm definitely not depressed. What's done is done and nothing is going to change that. Oh, and it never affected the way I do my job, if that's what worries you."

"Don't you dare, DiNozzo," warned Gibbs, upset that he could even imagine this was his main concern about him.

Tony let his hand fall back.

"It's an occupational hazard, Gibbs. Like being stabbed or shot or… whatever. It happened and now I've got to live with it. I don't need a shrink to tell me that."

He hunched his shoulders and leant back against the railing, crossing his arms the same way Gibbs did. The two men stayed silence for a moment, before Gibbs took the plunge and dared to ask the question which was burning a hole in his tongue.

"You… You said you got a… blank. How did you… know?" he asked, hanging on to the foolish hope that, maybe, all of this was only a monumental mistake.

Tony's shoulders tensed. His voice, when he finally spoke, was barely a whisper and Gibbs had to prick up his ears to hear him. 'Sore' and 'blood' were the only words he got clearly, but they were enough to shred his heart into pieces. At that very moment, his only wish was to be able to bring these two bastards back to life and have a chance to kill them again, _very slowly_.

Tony averted his eyes, but not quickly enough for Gibbs to miss the fact that they were glazed with deep sadness and something that looked suspiciously like shame. Almost instantly, his desire for revenge was replaced by the urge to take the younger man in his arms and comfort him, as he used to do with his daughter, when she was hurt.

But he knew that wasn't what Tony wanted from him. As much as he was ready to accept support and understanding, he wouldn't tolerate any sign of pity. He didn't want to be treated any differently and though it would cost him, Gibbs didn't intend to disappoint him.

Instead, he merely cleared his throat and nodded, before changing the subject once again.

"What will you do with the others? They heard everything you told Carson. I'm pretty sure McGee already connected the dots and made the link to White and Danielson. I don't think it will be long before he spills the beans to Ziva. As for Meyers…"

Tony shook his head with a chuckle and tried to dig a hole in the gravel of the roof with the tip of his shoe.

"Meyers is a heartless bitch who's only interested in her career. I'm willing to wager that she won't look beyond the 'friend' story. If she does…" He sighed dejectedly. "Well, to her I'm the scum of earth, so she would just think that I deserve what happened to me."

Gibbs felt his anger came back at full speed. The thought of someone even thinking that Tony deserved such a thing was unbearable and he sincerely hoped that the JAG officer would be wise enough to buy the official version and shut her mouth. For her own good.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"What about Ziva and McGee?"

Tony shrugged.

"Even easier. All I'll have to do is to deny everything outright and pretend I made it up in order to make Carson change her mind." He pulled a thoughtful face and tilted his head. "Well, I guess I'll have to crack one or two bad jokes and goof around for a while. But that won't be a problem."

"They're investigators. They won't buy it."

"Oh yes, they will."

Gibbs raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because they'll prefer not to have to deal with this kind of stuff." He sighed and screwed up his eyes, glancing at the landscape below them. "That's what anyone would do. It's only human. People always choose the easy way out."

Gibbs pulled a face, not completely convinced.

"You didn't. Choose the easy way out. You could have just shut your mouth and let others deal with the mess, but you went to talk to Carson, knowing it would let the cat out of the bag."

Tony shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned.

"I guess I'm a masochist through and through."

Gibbs scowled at his banter and Tony felt obliged to add more seriously:

"Just thought I could help her to get over it, that's all."

Gibbs couldn't help smiling. He should have known that every single word Tony had told to Mary Carson had been simple truth. He hadn't done it for the case, though it was a bonus, but only in order to try and help her to get over her trauma and start to break through the mantle of guilt that was suffocating her. It was so Tony.

Checking his watch, he realized they had been gone for a long time and decided he should go back to the bullpen, before his absence raised too much questions. But before he left, there was something Gibbs needed to know.

"You didn't answer to me."

"Huh?"

"Why didn't you tell me at the time? Really."

Tony shrugged noncommittally.

"Out of habit, I guess. I've taken care of myself since I was twelve, so it seemed… logical."

"Well, you're not alone anymore, so you'd better break yourself of that habit. Is that clear?"

Tony grinned and this time it reached his eyes.

"Crystal clear, Boss."

With a curt nod, Gibbs turned around and headed towards the door of the stairwell, but Tony didn't follow him.

"I think I'll stay here a bit longer," he said. "If you don't mind."

Gibbs turned his head, and gave him a quick smile.

"Take your time."

Tony nodded gratefully.

"Thanks."

He stood there for a while, gazing at the people who walked below him, unaware of his presence, until the sun disappeared behind the skyline. Then, slowly, he unfolded his tall frame, took a deep breath and plastered his usual mask on his face, feeling ready to face the world once again.

_To be continued_


	5. Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my beta reader smuffly for her support and help.
> 
> Here is the last chapter of this fic. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. A huge thank you to those who have been so kind to send kudos, comment and subscribe. I love you ;D

_Three months later_

Tony was about to put the finishing touches to his last report, when the elevator dinged and he saw a pair of black high heels walk up to his desk.

He raised his head. It took him a few seconds to recognize Lieutenant Mary Carson. A broad smile lit up his face.

"Lieutenant Carson! To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

The young woman gave a shy smile and they exchanged a handshake. They hadn't met since Tony had convinced her to testify against Wells and both felt a little awkward around each other.

"I just left the tribunal."

"Oh," said Tony, suddenly remembering McGee had been at the tribunal to testify two days ago.

"I thought you'd like to know, he was convicted… on all counts."

Tony let out a sigh of relief and smiled back at her.

"That makes one more dirt bag off the streets. And it's down to you."

Lieutenant Carson looked sheepish.

"I rather think that it's you who should be thanked for that, Agent DiNozzo."

He stared at her quizzically.

"Yes," she went on. "Without you, I'd never have found the courage to testify. You left it to me to choose and gave me back my dignity. So thank you."

"You're welcome."

She averted her eyes and cleared her throat.

"I saw Lieutenant Meyers wasn't the prosecutor at the trial," she stated hesitantly.

Tony pursed his lips and shrugged noncommittally.

"Yeah. Seems that she has been recently … promoted."

She knitted her brows, looking more than skeptical.

"Oh, really."

Tony couldn't refrain from giving a chuckle at the sound of disbelief in her voice. He had heard from McGee and Ziva that her interview with the JAG officer, while he was on the roof with Gibbs, had been more than a little strained. The two women hadn't hit it off, to say the least, and Lieutenant Carson had made no secret of her dislike for Meyers' behavior and her lack of consideration for the victims.

She looked at him quizzically.

"What's so funny?"

He flashed a mischievous smile.

"Don't know. Maybe the fact that she works now for the Anchorage office."

"Anchorage? Mary's eyes slightly widened, then a small smirk tugged the corner of her lips. "It's… far."

Tony nodded.

"And cold."

He didn't give Meyers more than one Alaskan winter before she resigned. Hopefully she wouldn't cause too much trouble in the meantime.

He added with mock amazement.

"I heard they had trouble staffing the post and someone warmly recommended her for the job. It's really a stroke of luck."

"Definitely, a proposition she couldn't refuse." She wrinkled her brow pensively. "I wonder who played the Good Samaritan. Any idea?"

He shrugged casually, playing along with her pretense at ignorance.

"Maybe, maybe not. Hard to say. She was so popular." His voice dripped with sarcasm on the last word.

Mary snorted.

"Whoever it was, I hope she thanked them."

"I wouldn't be so sure. People are so ungrateful these days."

They shared a knowing look, then fell silent until Mary spoke again.

"Well, I won't bother you too much longer, Agent DiNozzo. The other vi… survivors and I are going to have a drink and I wanted to invite you to join us, now everything is finished."

"Thank you. That's very nice of you, but I still have work to do and my boss is gonna kill me if I don't catch up with my paperwork."

He walked around his desk to escort her to the elevator.

"One of the other women told me about a support group and I think I'll give it a try."

"That's good."

"If you're interested, I can give you the address." She suddenly faltered and hurried to add: "For your friend. Michael. Is that it?"

"Yes. Thanks," he said as if it was nothing, taking the little white card she was handing him. "It's nice of you, but I don't think he'll need it anymore."

She looked up at him.

"Did… Did he finally talk to someone…else, about what happened to him?"

Tony nodded slowly, averting his gaze.

"Yeah. He told me he finally talked to his… father."

"Oh that's a good thing." A genuine smile lit her face, instantly replaced by a slight frown. "Isn't it?"

Tony chuckled and smiled in turn.

"Yeah, it's a good thing. I think it can be said that things went rather well, actually."

"Good, good. I'm glad he's not alone anymore."

She fumbled with the strap of her hand bag for a moment, then pushed the button. The doors opened almost immediately and she stepped in after a brief handshake.

"Well, if you change your mind, we'll be at the Blue Beacon. You're really welcome."

Tony nodded with a quick smile, before the doors closed between them.

For a moment he just stood in the middle of the bullpen staring into space, until a hand connected with the back of his head and brought him back to reality.

"No daydreaming during working hours, DiNozzo."

"Yes, Boss," answered Tony, belatedly.

Gibbs frowned and retraced his steps.

"Problem, Tony?"

Tony shook his head

"No. No problem. I was just thinking that, you know... what doesn't kill you…"

"Makes you stronger, Tony," finished Gibbs. "A lot stronger."

They stared at each other without saying anything, reading what they needed in each other's eyes, then Tony cleared his throat and stepped back to the bullpen.

"I'd better finish my report, before my Boss goes postal and forces me to rewrite it from the beginning," he said playfully, hiding his wounds, as always, behind the banter.

"Yep, DiNozzo. You'd better," chuckled Gibbs, playing along. "And DiNozzo? No flirting at work either."

Tony flashed him one of his dazzling smiles and spun around with a roll of his eyes.

"What can I say? I'm irresistible."

Gibbs watched the agent as he headed back to his desk, looking for some hint of distress behind the cheerful façade, but he couldn't find any.

A pleasant mixture of relief and pride washed over him at the realization that, no matter what, Tony would always be Tony - _his_ Tony.

As long as he knew he was loved and respected by the ones who mattered, Tony DiNozzo would remain a force to be reckoned with. Nothing and no one would ever be able to change that.

_End_


End file.
